Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom

The Good: It's easy, as a person fascinated by geopolitics and political science, to sometimes "dehumanize" the people involved. We talk about the powerful people and speculate about the power dynamics at play; what the "Russians" are planning and what the fate of "Ukraine" will be. Often, without thinking about the human beings whose lives, welfare, hopes, and aspirations are at stake. I think it's important for anyone interested in world politics to go beyond the strategy, the ideologies and macro trends to watch documentaries that illustrate the humanity of these sweeping historical moments. Winter on Fire does this incredibly well.

The footage captured here is AMAZING. Not only because of how raw it is, but how visually stunning these scenes are. Yes, it's a little weird to say this, but the contrast between the snow covered rooftops of Kiev, with the piles of burning tires, the lines of policemen and protestors, the blood, the chaos...it's honestly quite the sight to see. I also loved how this film didn't romanticize or shy away from the trauma, the violence, the desperation, and resolve required to overthrow a government. It really humanizes these events for audiences who may tend to view these things as abstract and distant.

Yet, in the bloody street battles and sieging captured in this film, there are countless beautiful moments of humanity. There's a tendency to talk about Ukraine as a doomed country; how it's the second poorest country in Europe, destined to be swallowed by Russia, whose young people are either fleeing or not having enough children to maintain the country into the future. But it's hard to think this way after watching this film, honestly.

The documentarian also does a fantastic job introducing us to people whom would eventually be seen as heroes in the "new Ukraine." Yet, it doesn't valourize anyone to the point where we lose sight of the broader social movement that Maidan really was.

The Bad: The movie is a tad bit on the long side, which I can see being an issue for some. After several repeating scenes of street battles, they do sometimes blend together. I also felt the film missed a bit on the context; while I was aware of a lot of Ukrainian history up until 2014, and I can see why someone unfamiliar with this history may be a bit confused. I see it primarily as an artistic choice and completely understand why they would prefer focusing on the Maidan, but you kind of need to know a bit about the Ukrainian-Russian relationship to fully get the picture.

The Ugly: Winter on Fire is essential for anyone who is fascinated by this region of the world. The event post-Revolution are what the international media focus on; the proxy war between the EU and Russia, the Donbass War and annexation of Crimea. Yet, almost forgotten is the 93 day struggle that led to the sea change in European geopolitics seven years ago. It is one of the most compelling, accessible, and enthralling documentaries I've seen in quite a while, and perhaps, even more important today than in 2015.

This is a must see documentary, even if you have opposing views to those displayed in it. Although many holes are left in deciphering what is really going on within Ukraine and between Russia and Ukraine, it does allow you to get one step closer to understanding. I thought it was near perfect!

I am an American living in Kiev for a few months and have been wanting to learn more about this incredible country and the trouble it has been and is facing. I found this review very informative and patriotic. It was helpful in understanding the people and the current situation and I even gained some Ukrainian pride myself!

I've been to Kyiv and seen Maidan Square. I've seen the photos of the people who died lining the street. This is the story of a country fighting to be a free, democratic nation, free from the grip of Putin. As you can see by current events, Putin will do anything to stop Ukraine from being truly free.

The Maidan(square) in Kyiv, Ukraine. Year 2014. The 4th president of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych promised Ukrainians that Ukraine would join EU. But his meeting with Putin was a game changer. That would sabotage Ukrainians dream of being part of Europe. The country got its independence from Russia in 90s and already had seen The Orange Revolution since the turn of this century triggered by a rigged election that was marred by a presidential candidate Yanukovych. The 2014 revolution rightly known as The Revolution of Dignity started with few hundreds gathered at the Maidan as a response to a FB call put out by the journalist Mustufa Nayyem and in the days to come, the Maidan would be filled with hundreds of thousands of protesters. It ended after 93 days that left 125 people killed. 65 missing and some 1900 injured! It resulted into Berkut (special police forces) being disbanded, Yanukovych fleeing to Russia and was given asylum by Putin and Ukrainians triumphing as it signed for EU.

This documentary is a horrendous veracious account of the events that took place during those 93 days. A direct diatribe against Russians ongoing meddling into country's politics. It will hit your bloodstream and nervous system. It may seem single dimensional but this is a revolution against a leader who was merely a Russian puppet. How Bertuts rifles got loaded with live ammo instead of the standard rubber bullets against the peaceful protesters. The triumph however, was short-lived as soon Russia sent military forces to assist pro- Russiann separatists and annexed Crimea in southern Ukraine and also, the ongoing pro-Russian protests in other parts of the country that has been escalated into violent wars... crisp editing, superb footage.. Despite of missing a comprehensive history aspect, it does not fail to achieve visceral impact. A MUST see.

Filled with amazing and powerful images of resistance on both a personal and mass scale, this film is what can result when you have a revolution in the age of ubiquitous cell phones and personal drones. And it leads to a kind of combination of visceral immediacy and near epic scope in the telling of the Ukraine's 3 month long citizens' revolt against a corrupt, unresponsive and lying government that would have been near impossible a handful of years earlier. This is experiencing a revolt from the inside; scary, intense, exciting – a powerful emotional roller coaster.

What it isn't, is an intellectually rigorous overview of the issues and conditions that led to the revolt, or what changes did and didn't result in the long term. Those are touched on, of course, but it's a fair criticism that's been leveled against the film, that the uninformed viewer (like me) comes away with only a schematic and simplistic view of the uprising. But, for me, that was enough.

The power of this film is the reminder that it is still possible for people to come together from very different places, Muslims and Catholics, left-wing students and aging military men, the poor and the middle-class – and to band together to overthrow a tyrant with a remarkable limiting of blood-shed. It's a film that will make you shed a tear for the potential for good and for change in the world, and that outweighs whatever shortcomings the film may have.